The seven-year-old died in hospital after being taken ill at his Thameside home in February 2014 after heavy flooding.

His parents, Kye Gbangbola and Nicole Lawler, dispute tests suggesting carbon monoxide poisoning was the cause, claiming floodwater contaminated by cyanide gas leaked into their home from a nearby landfill site.

We'll be bringing you live updates and reaction throughout the day as the inquest resumes after a rest day on Thursday.

Key Events

Day four of the inquest has finished

Day four of the inquest into Zane’s death has now come to a close. The court is due to resume on Monday morning at 10am when Mr Dormer will continue giving evidence.

Today we have heard from Jerry Toogood, branch manager at Surrey Hire and Sales in Addlestone where Nicole Lawler hired a pump, and Stephen Dormer, who joint owns the business.

To recap:

Mr Toogood said he did not give specific advice to Ms Lawler because the details were given with the equipment

Leslie Thomas QC suggested Mr Toogood made ‘serious failures’

Mr Toogood said he gave a ‘clear and unambiguous response’ to Ms Lawler’s question about using the equipment indoors

Stephen Dormer started giving evidence and said he remembered saying no to Ms Lawler’s question

He was questioned over his witness statement given to police

Parents Nicole and Kye Gbangbola at the two year anniversary of Zane Gbangbola's death

16:36

Advice about using the pump indoors

Mr Dormer said he has ‘no idea why’ he did not include information in his statements to say that Ms Lawler acknowledged his advice not to use the pump indoors.

16:25

"Make sure you read the instructions"

The court has heard that Mr Dormer’s statement said Ms Lawler’s question about using the equipment indoors was one that a ‘woman was more likely’ to ask.

Mr Thomas said:

In your mind, here’s a woman who has no idea in relation to using the machine.... If that’s what was said you wouldn’t say no, you would explain the risks and explain the rationale and specifically say, just to cover your back being the business owner because you know this could come back on you, make sure you read the instructions, or make sure your husband reads the instructions to fully understand how to operate it.

16:05

Demonstration outside the shop

The Gbangbola’s QC Leslie Thomas is now questioning Mr Dormer about his witness statement from the days afterwards, which says that Ms Lawler raised the question of the pump being used indoors, during a demonstration outside the shop.

The statement said he was ‘there’ when the demonstration was undertaken, but Mr Thomas has said this goes against evidence in court that said he was not outside when it took place.

Mr Dormer said he was not there but meant that he ‘saw’ the demonstration from inside the shop.

Mr Dormer, your evidence is all over the place on this issue isn’t it?

said Mr Thomas.

15:43

"Do not use in confined spaces"

Referring to an invoice from the company in March 2015 , which includes the warning ‘do not use in confined spaces , ie indoors’, Mr Dormer was asked if he was aware when that wording started to appear on documents. He said:

There was a guy with the police from the local council [who visited Surrey Hire and Sales after Zane’s death] and he said I have sat and listened to what you said and I’m happy with everything, but I suggest you pop that on your documents. We put that on that day on the advice of someone else.

15:23

Hiring the pump

Mr Dormer is telling the court about the day Ms Lawler came to the shop to hire a pump. He said he remembered a conversation about a man living near to the Gbangbola’s who hired a pump and came out of his property in a canoe to collect it from the driver.

Mr Dormer said he remembered Ms Lawler ask if the pump could be used inside.

I firstly answered and said no, and then Jerry [Toogood] said the same.

He said the question had not caused him any concern.

Mr Dormer added he could not say for sure if the safety instructions were attached to the pump as he was not serving the customer.

14:57

Stephen Dormer starts giving evidence

Stephen Dormer, who owns Surrey Hire and Sales, is now giving evidence. He’s told the court that the company was a member of Hire Association Europe (HAE), which produces safety instructions to people hiring equipment.

Coroner’s counsel Alison Hewitt is asking Mr Dormer about what procedures were in place in terms of staff giving safety instructions.

14:39

"Clear and unambiguous response"

Mr Coltart said:

Short of putting in endless numbers of extra staff would there be any practical way of taking a customer through the instruction leaflet line by line?

Mr Toogood said no, agreeing that he had never heard of that happening within the industry. He said there was no way of ensuring a customer did read the instruction leaflet when they got home, adding he would have been happy to give Ms Lawler advice if she had requested it.

He added he gave a ‘clear and unambiguous response’ when Ms Lawler asked whether the pump could be used indoors.

She’s asked you to advise, you give her the advice, she appears to have understood.

said Mr Coltart.

14:17

Safety instructions

Chris Coltart, barrister for Surrey Hire and Sales, is now asking Mr Toogood about the hoses that were used to connect to the pump.

Mr Toogood said he would never let a pump be hired out without the safety instructions.

He said there is a large rack in the back room of the shop with the different safety leaflets in, and they would be attached to the relevant equipment that was rented out.

Reading out sections of the instructions, which says the pump should never be run in an enclosed space and exposure could lead to ‘loss of consciousness and death’, Mr Coltart asks Mr Toogood if there is anything unclear about the information. “No,” he says.

13:51Charlotte Talbot

Afternoon session begins

Court proceedings have started again for the afternoon session. Leslie Thomas is on his feet again to ask some supplementary questions to Mr Toogood regarding a code of conduct document for the industry.

To recap, Mr Toogood was branch manager at the Surrey Hire and Sales in Addlestone when Nicole Lawler hired a pump to try to remove flood water from their home in Thameside, Chertsey in the days before Zane’s death.

12:33

Break for lunch

The legal discussions have been continuing in court, and coroner Richard Travers has now decided to break for an early lunch while a document detailing code of conduct is found.

12:02

Court back in session

The coroner Richard Travers is back in court and Mr Toogood’s evidence is set to continue, with his barrister Chris Coltart.

While some legal discussions take place, here’s a reminder you can read up on other stories surrounding the Zane Gbangbola case through our dedicated page.

11:37

Break in proceedings

The court has risen for a short morning break. When they come back Chris Coltart, barrister for Surrey Hire & Sales, will be asking questions of Mr Toogood.

11:14

Hose pipe

Mr Thomas is asking Mr Toogood about the green hose supplied, which Ms Lawler previously said was too short to go through the window.

He is suggesting that Mr Toogood had told her to use the pump indoors with the window open so that his equipment was not stolen. Mr Toogood said that was not correct.

11:00KEY EVENT

"It was sloppy of me"

Mr Thomas is asking Mr Toogood about the tick box procedure at the company, which he had previously told the court was a new procedure. On day three Mr Toogood said he didn’t tick any boxes on the agreement when Ms Lawler hired the pump, as he ‘didn’t want to keep her waiting any longer’.

Mr Thomas said:

I put to you your explanation that this was a new procedure brought in is just no true. This is you being sloppy. Would you accept that?

Mr Toogood answered:

I would say it was sloppy of me not filling in the boxes.

10:36

'Failures'

Mr Thomas continued:

I’m going to suggest to you, on your version of events, which we dispute, the things you failed to do are serious. Your failures are serious failures. Do you accept that?

Mr Toogood said he did not wish to answer the question.

10:24

Mr Toogood questioned

The Gbangbola’s QC Leslie Thomas is asking Mr Toogood questions about the advice he gave Ms Lawler when she hired the pump.

He asked if he told her anything about running the engines in an enclosed space or confined areas, to which Mr Toogood said no. Mr Toogood said this is because the details are ‘with the equipment for the customer to use’.

Mr Thomas said:

You know you have a duty of care to people you hire to. You know you have to satisfy yourself the person you hire the machinery to knows what they are doing with it.